Sydney: Australia’s cricketers have reportedly told their national board they do not want to play in a one-day tournament in northern Africa scheduled for later this year.

According to a report in Sydney’s Daily Telegraph on Wednesday, the players have informed the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) that they were prepared to forfeit up to Aus $30,000 ($20,000) a man to pull out of the tournament, to be held in Morocco in September.

Australian Cricketers’ Association chief executive Tim May told the newspaper that the players wanted out of the tour because of fears about their heavy workload and security.

“Our concerns are two-fold, the first is the volume of cricket,” May said. “There is a significant resistance from the volume of players in terms of their workload. Those concerns are mirrored very strongly by the ACA.

“The second one is security in the wake of the most recent terrorist attacks which certainly concern us.”

Australia’s cricketers, currently on tour in West Indies, have been playing virtually non-stop since November last year.

They will have a short break when they return home next month before starting their preparations for the historic home series with Bangladesh in July and August and were hoping to have another rest in September before the start of another hectic summer.

They are also reportedly concerned about security issues in Morocco after 43 people were killed by a series of bomb blasts in Casablanca earlier this month.

Darwin’s ‘debut’

Meanwhile, Darwin’s Marrara Oval on Wednesday received formal approval ahead of July’s first-ever Test between Australia and Bangladesh, adds a report from Darwin. The ACB said the ground had received official International Cricket Council accreditation ahead of the tour in July and August.

The Marrara Oval will host international matches for the first time when Australia plays Bangladesh in a Test from July 18 to 22 and one-day International on August 6.

The North Queensland city of Cairns will host the Second Test and two other one-day games.

ITINERARY

July 18-22: First Test at Marrara Oval in Darwin; July 25-29: Second Test at Bundaberg Rum Stadium in Cairns; August 2: First ODI in Cairns; August 3: Second ODI in Cairns; August 6: Third ODI in Darwin.